(Newser)
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DC's finest wasted no time reacting to Mitt Romney's choice of Paul Ryan as his runningmate this morning, with Republicans applauding as Democrats immediately pounced on the Wisconsin Republican. Highlights from your Sunday dial, as per Politico:
- John McCain: Ryan is an "excellent choice," who won't outshine the top of the ticket. "I had that problem," McCain joked. Nevertheless, "I'm still proud of my runningmate. I'm proud of Sarah and her family and the work we did."
- David Axelrod on President Obama's opinion of Ryan: "He thinks he's a perfectly genial and bright guy. He just thinks his theory is wrong. I mean Congressman Ryan is a right-wing ideologue and that's reflected in the positions that he's taken."
- Tim Pawlenty: "I'm not disappointed. I didn't get something I didn't expect."
- Debbie Wasserman Schultz: By picking Ryan, Romney has endorsed "shredding the safety net" of Medicare and "embraced an extremist proposal." The ticket would stick seniors with "massive gaps in coverage and drive their health care costs up."
- Newt Gingrich on Ryan's 'right-wing social engineering': "He came back with an improved Medicare plan. He met my only objection. You now have a national leader who is capable of talking in detail with the American people about some very complicated topics."
- Scott Walker on Wisconsin: "I thought it was competitive after our election, and I think it's even more competitive with Paul Ryan on the line." Wisconsinites want candidates "who are courageous and willing to take on tough decisions and Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan are exactly the kind of comeback team to make that happen."
